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Obama quit smoking because he was 'scared of my wife'

Obama told Kiai, a Harvard-trained lawyer who has lobbied for civil rights causes in Kenya, that he hoped "you've quit smoking."

Kiai appears to admit he still indulged in the habit "sometimes," and asked Obama if he snuck a cigarette as well.

"No, no," Obama replies. "I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years. That's because I'm scared of my wife."

In an interview with iVilliage last year, the first lady said Obama's daughters were responsible for his decision to kick his habit.

"They are at the age now where you can't hide, it's clear," the first lady said. "He would have to start having those conversations because we discuss all the time ... we talk about drugs. We talk about sex. We talk about smoking. We talk about it all."

She said the Obamas told their daughters that when it comes to smoking, "we're very clear. It's not good for you. It's addictive."

"But I think he didn't want to look his girls in the eye and tell them that they shouldn't do something that he was still doing," she said. "So they played an important role in him finally saying, 'I've gotta get this done' ... he credits them with that."

Although the president kicked his habit after winning his presidential bid in 2008, he is seen frequently chewing nicotine replacement gum around the White House.